Wire-cutter.



A. BERGNER.

WIRE CUTTER.

APPLICATION mso AuG.2. 191s.

Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

dlg/mm i ADOLF BERGNER, OF BERNE, SWITZERLAND.

WIRE-GUTTER.

l To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ADoLr BERGNER, a citizen of the Swiss Confederation, and residing at Berne, Switzerland, have invented certain new" and useful Improvements inl VVire-Cutters, Aof which the following is a specilication. y. p

My invention has for its primary obJect i i to provide improved wire cutters or the like adapted to be mounted on a bayonet or other suitable weapon and actuated by a thrust.

According to my invention the blades, at

least one of which is movable relatively to the other, are mounted on aslide which can be shifted by a thrust exercised counter to the action of a spring against the wire to be cut, whereby the movable blade which is connected with a fixed resistance is moved relatively to the other blade and the wire is thereby cut. l

To this end, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims.

` According to Fig. 1, the slide 1 is dis-l placeably mounted on the blade 2 of a bayonet 4 mounted on a small-arm 8. The slide 1 carries a blade 7 of the cutters which runs out in front into a point located close to the sharp edge of the blade 2, so that when the Vbayonet is suitably placed on the wire to be `cut andthe small-arm is thrust forward the blade 7 will slide under the wire until the latter abuts against the cutting edge at one end of the other blade 9 of the cutters pivoted on a lug 5` of the slide 1. The other end 10 of the .blade 9 is bent outward somewhat away from the blade 7, so that the two `blades of the cutters constitute a fork which may be advantageous for rapidly detecting the wire of an entanglement in the dark. The two-armed lever 9-10 constituted by the second blade is pivotally connected to a link `11 and with it forms a knee-joint. The lever arm 10 carries a leaf-spring 12 whose free Specification of Letters .Patent Patented Jan. S, 1918.

Application :filed August 2, 1916. Serial No. 112,679.

end takes over a projection or lug 13 at one end of the link 11 and tends to straighten out the knee-joint and shift the slide l upward as seen in the drawing, whereby the cutters are opened immediately after the wire has been cut and are thus always ready for use. The other end of the link 11 is piv* otally held between two lugs 14 of a cap 15 slipped over the pommel of the bayonet. T his cap has a downwardly projecting angular lug 16.Y A bolt 17 is displaceably mounted in the lower horizontal part of the cap and in the part located thereabove, The upper part of thisbolt is flat and lits exactly inthe groove 18 in the handle of the bayonet. A spring 19 tends to hold the bolt in its upper position, e. taking into the said groove, when the cutters are mounted on the bayonet, whereby the cap 15 is securely but detachably held on the handle of the bayonet, as clearly shown-in Figs. 1 and 5. Then a thrust is exerted by means of the small arm and bayonet on the wire located between the blades of the cutters, after the force of the spring 12 has been overcome, the slide 1 is shifted toward the handle of the bayonet and the knee-joint 10-11 is bent, as shown in Fig. 2. The lever arm 10 is rocked outwardly and the Vblade 9 inward toward the blade 7, whereby the wire is out. The

'resistance offered by the wire is thus used for closing the cutters. n As soon as this resistance disappears owing to the wire being cut, the spring 12 straightens the knee joint and opens the cutters. As will be understood from the above it is possible to equip infantry with wire cutters without their being impeded in using the small-arm. As tests have shown, it is readily possible t-o cut fairly thick wires because a relatively great thrust can be exerted with the smallarm. 0n pulling the bolt 17 out of the groove in the bayonet handle, the cutters can be immediately removed from the bayonet. Reversely, the cutters can be readily mounted on the bayonet by one single manipulation.

. The form shown in Fig. 2 differs from that Vdescribed above only inthe slide 1 being mounted on a stiletto 20 or the like and in the lugs 14', to which the link'll is connected, being arranged directly on the stiletto. The stiletto terminates at one end in a conical tube 21 and can be attached to any desired rod by means of this tube or in other manner, Y ,Theoperation. :oithis form is )the same as that of the forint-1V de'- scribed above.

Fig. 3 shows another` modification similar to that Vshown'in Fig. 2 but 0n a smaller scale. The difference consists solely inthe pointgof the stiletto 20 and the ,tuloeQl'nbe-y ingfloeated at thetopposite ends.Y The rod carrying theV cutters canbe placed Vover all' thewires of a Wire entanglement, andthe Wires can'be -e'ut in sueoession by pulling the rod.; Y

` `lnfthe m'odif'cationshown inY Fig, VZlathe;

Cutters comprise two blades 9,10 which are pino-ted in the slide 1 and YpiyotallyV Conlneeted by linksfll withVVV lugs lion the'` stilettoV 20.1 The vstil'ettolis inserted. into 'a I VY'sleeve andiis firmly connected therewith,

" Y 1,1116 @emulation cojpiesr of thisfrpatenrtjma'y be Obtained Yrm The, sleeve'isf mounted on theven'd of aV rodA Y 23gby means-'of Whioh'thecutters can be,v lifted Vover Wire-entanglement, the Wires 'of-WhichV can be out in sueeessionf'aside-VV scribed:above.' VOwing to theresis'tanceof the'v 'Wire to bereut located between the-two blades 9 the slide 1 isshited toward the lugs/14, whereby the knee 'joints 1Q, 1l are bent still more 'andthe Wire is out. Y L I- Cla1ni:-

of fa support', afslide i' l movable along the sanne, a blade carried by the slide, n two-armedr lever fulerumed in the i l slide, one arm of ythe Vlever constituting Va second bladeadapt'ed tocoperate With'thel former blade, alinkhaving one end pivotally connected to the end ofthe seeondarm apart, and( adetaehable means on said support havingV pivoted to it the'other end of y the `said lin Y 2. The combination of a support, a slide `movable along the saine, Va bladetcair'ied by,` theA slide, tWo-` armed lever fulcrumed in the slide, one armofftlie lever'constitutinga ofthe lever-and theotifher end tothe supend Aabuttingv against the link and; 'tending to hold the blades'.apart.-VVV j In testimony whereof, `AI aiiX'rmy signature in the' v'presence off vtwo Witnesses.

fi FRIEDRICH N'sGuN, HANS YRIiu'ninnitrCHT. t

fe bents eaehiby addressing the f Commissioner of VPatents, Y Washington, D. C. Y

y VAnotr BERGNER. Y; -Witnessesf Y Y Y i i Y of theleyer, a spring Carried the-second Y arm of the lever tendingto bold the blades 

